Village Community Boathouse

Aside from the horizontal tango, I consider myself a physical retard in regards to kinetic activities involving hand-​eye coordination, synchronization, and skills. I can’t swim, I’m crap in sports, and I trip over air when I’m walking. For some reason unbeknownst to me I thought I could row a boat in the Hudson River. I rowed a boat decently across a lake in Central Park I thought, how difficult can it be?
You fool.
Free community rowing is available on Sundays starting at 12pm, and Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4:30pm. My bf and I arrived on Sunday at 11:45 and the folks of the VCB were just rolling in and getting things started. Even though we came early we didn’t get into the water until about 1pm. It’s probably OK if you come at 12:30 or even later than that.
You have to sign a waiver, either in person or online, and it’s good for a year. Bring a couple of water bottles because you don’t want to suffer from dehydration you WILL need it. Bring a snack or sandwich to eat during breaks. Wear a cap or a hat as well as sunglasses to protect you from the blazing sun. If you don’t have a baseball cap, the VCB has some dirty old caps for you to borrow. But do you really want to wear an old sweat drenched dirty cap that other New Yorkers wore before you?
There are plenty of life jackets available in different sizes (for children and adults) for every rower to were. There are water bottles available for $ 1 but they were lukewarm, so I really do recommend bring your own cool refrigerated water bottles.
Put on sunscreen! Put on sunscreen on every inch of skin that can possibly be exposed to the sun! I usually apply sunscreen to my bf’s face, ears, neck, and arms; forgoing his hairy chicken legs. Unfortunately, my poor darling snow white’s legs and knees was as violently red as a steamed Maine lobster after our excursion into the Hudson River. White people: APPLY SUNSCREEN!
There are several coxswains (the person in charge of the boat) that takes a group of people out in a boat. You get a short crash course about boating and the terms you need to know. Ask questions like: how do you row? I didn’t do it right and I didn’t get a chance for someone to teach me the proper maneuver or practice.
Make sure the plastic part of the oar is on the gunwale and you twist the rope so it’s secured over the peg. Bring fingerless gloves bc we got blisters.
Community rowing is free and open to all so offer a donation There were younglings with us in my boat and when I got tired and started getting seasick the tykes took over for me. Rowing has no age or race bias or gender preference. It just hates me and wants me to die.
Have you ever had motion sickness? Have you ever felt queasy, barfed out a lung, and walked out looking emaciated and close to death after being on an airplane? Have you ever felt dizzy or a little sick to your stomach during a long bumpy car or bus ride? Have you ever been haunted by cruel dark memories of a devilish tilt-​a-​whirl ride?
If you answered yes to one or more questions then do yourself a favor and take 2 Dramamine Less Drowsy Formula pills (it comes in a yellow and purple tube) 30 mins to 1 hr before your excursion into the hellish waters of the Hudson River. I’m a fucking idiot. I’m fairly certain that I have an inner ear balance issue, and I had had BAD experience with motion sickness in the past, but it never occurred to me that being in a small boat and bobbing up in down in waves formed by BIGGER cruise ships and such will make me have an excruciating bout of sea sickness.
I got very sick. The world was spinning and my stomach held a revolt against me. I contributed my insides into the river. Dave the coxswain, a nice pleasant man on land but a mean old bastard in the water, kept on reminding us that the city’s sewage flowed beneath the surface of the river we were rowing on. You fucking son of a bitch.
After a scary incident in which we got stuck next to these big black metal floaty things in the water by the dock and nearly capsize we found our way back to the pier. I was so sick I collapsed on chair in the VCB warehouse for an 1hr and a half. The mean old jaded seafarer became a sweet pleasant man again and offered me tea and gave me acupressure wristbands that supposedly eliminates motion sickness. They didn’t work. I projectile vomited every fluid that I put in me and finally gave up and made the long trip home to Long Island. I missed my dinner reservations. My arms were dead tired, my body ached, my vision became blurry and I thought I was gonna die. I crossed out rowing in the Hudson River off my bucket list but then I needed a bucket to pour the remains of the insides into.
Do I regret it? Yes and No. It was a great experience and if you take heed of my notes you will come out better than me. If the previous reviews of the VCB wasn’t so fucking useless maybe I would have been more prepared.

I can’t say enough great things about this place. The people that work there are all friendly, kind, knowledgeable, professional and safety comes first. We hadn’t been on a row boat in ages. We decided to go out and take our 7 year old child as well. It is a great lesson in teamwork and was an all around great experience. We will be back again. FYI: the hours posted outside and online are not correct. The groups gather and boats go out an hour after stated times.